2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Review
With more power and better fuel economy, the 2026 Palisade Hybrid is worth the upgrade.
Perry Stern
With its elegant design, advanced technology, and roomy interior, the redesigned 2026 Hyundai Palisade represents a significant upgrade over its predecessor. Unfortunately, the SUV's new standard V6 engine delivers less power and lower fuel economy than the previous-generation model. Otherwise, I think it's hard to find fault with the new Palisade.
Hyundai remedies the power and efficiency problem with the 2026 Palisade Hybrid. It costs $2,220 more than a gas-only model, but delivers a substantial boost in acceleration while improving gas mileage, arguably making it the best choice in the Palisade lineup.
Perry Stern
About the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Review Vehicle
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid is available in three trim levels: SEL Premium, Limited, and Calligraphy. All come standard with front-wheel drive (FWD), and all-wheel drive (AWD) is available for an additional $2,000. Base prices range from about $49,000 to roughly $58,000, including the destination charge to ship the SUV to a dealership from its assembly plant in Ulsan, Korea.
For this review, Hyundai provided me with a 2026 Palisade Hybrid Calligraphy in Austin, Texas. In addition to AWD, the only optional feature on my test vehicle was floor mats, bringing the total manufacturer's suggested retail price to $60,625, including the $1,600 destination charge. Hyundai covered my travel, lodging, and meals during the evaluation period.
Perry Stern
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid's Elegant Styling
With its distinctive lighting and bold grille, the 2026 Palisade represents a significant style departure from its predecessor. While the new look may deter some shoppers, there's no denying its ability to garner attention. Notably, aside from its subtle hybrid badge on the rear liftgate, the Palisade Hybrid is indistinguishable from its non-hybrid sibling.
Hyundai is not a luxury brand, but a glance inside the Palisade Hybrid Calligraphy might make you think otherwise. There's leather throughout the cabin, with an elegant two-tone treatment on the dashboard, doors, and steering wheel. Brushed-metal flourishes add a nice pop. The dashboard, door trim, center console, and even the vents feature rounded edges, adding to the appealing appearance.
A large curved display incorporating the digital gauges and infotainment system seamlessly integrates into the dashboard, creating a cohesive look. Climate functions reside on a separate panel, featuring easy-to-use soft-touch controls and physical dials for setting the dual-zone cabin temperature. I like that there are knobs for volume and tuning as well as hard buttons that provide quick access to the home screen, navigation, and audio functions.
With the gear selector relocated to a stubby stalk on the steering column, the center console offers ample storage, cupholders, and a wireless phone charger. I plugged my phone into one of the dual 100-watt USB-C ports, and it was the first time it had ever shown "Super Fast Charging" — I didn't even know that was possible. Additional space is available in the sizable bin beneath the center armrest, and it can sterilize stored objects using UV-C ultraviolet light.
Perry Stern
With multiple power adjustments and soft nappa leather upholstery, the Palisade Hybrid Calligraphy's front seats offer great comfort and support. I felt no fatigue or soreness, even after putting more than 200 miles on the SUV.
The Calligraphy comes standard with power-adjustable second-row captain's chairs. Equipped with heating and ventilation, they're as comfortable as the seats up front. While the Palisade Hybrid has slightly less rear-seat legroom due to the battery placement under the floor, it still boasts more space than rivals such as the Ford Explorer and Toyota Grand Highlander.
I found those power captain's chairs take a frustratingly long time to move forward to provide access to the third row, but once they're out of the way, access to the rearmost seat is relatively easy. Fitting three adult passengers would be tight, but there's reasonable legroom and headroom, and the heated outboard cushions are uncommon in a third row.
The Palisade Hybrid provides more than adequate cargo space behind the third row. With 19.1 cubic-feet available, there's certainly enough room for a couple of suitcases. Power-fold the 60/40-split third row using buttons in the cargo area, and you'll expand the space to 46.3 cu-ft. Maximum cargo room totals 86.7 cu-ft with the second and third rows folded down.
Perry Stern
The New Palisade Hybrid's Advanced Technology
Many of today's infotainment systems can be overly complex, but that's not the case with this Hyundai. Displayed on a new 12.3-inch touchscreen, the system features swipeable pages and a configurable home screen, and I think it's easy to navigate.
Hyundai's voice recognition system works reasonably well for basic requests, but advanced features require an active Bluelink+ subscription. Standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity offers an alternative; I easily connected my Samsung Galaxy S23+ to run Android Auto, which utilizes the entire infotainment screen.
One of my favorite new features exclusive to the Palisade Hybrid is Stay Mode, which allows you to use vehicle accessories for an extended period without starting the internal-combustion engine. With about 65% of the hybrid battery's charge remaining, I was able to enjoy the Bose premium audio system in the air-conditioned cabin for about 20 minutes.
Perry Stern
Hyundai equips every Palisade Hybrid with its SmartSense suite of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). The Palisade also stands out with Safe Exit Assist, which helps prevent the driver and passengers from opening a door into traffic.
Highway Driving Assist II (HDA2) is also available, adding Hyundai's most advanced semi-autonomous driving system. It combines adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist for hands-on highway driving assistance, and features an automatic lane-change system that steers the Palisade into the next lane upon turn-signal activation. However, because HDA2 requires the driver's hands on the steering wheel, the value of the automatic lane change seems minimal.
While using HDA2 on the freeway outside Austin, I was impressed by its smooth acceleration and braking and its ability to keep the Palisade centered in the lane of travel.
Perry Stern
The 2026 Palisade Hybrid Delivers Abundant Power and Efficiency
Hyundai's next-generation hybrid system powers the Palisade Hybrid. It features a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors, which produces 329 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque according to Hyundai's estimates. After driving the standard Palisade V6 model earlier this year, I welcomed the Hybrid's added 42 horsepower and 79 lb-ft of torque.
According to the EPA, the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid gets an estimated 29 mpg in combined city and highway driving when equipped with AWD. That figure climbs to 34 mpg for the base SEL trim level with FWD. The trip computer indicated 29.3 mpg during my drive in Austin, in line with the Calligraphy's official rating and considerably better than the 18.5 mpg I achieved when driving the Palisade V6.
The hybrid drivetrain is smooth and quiet, and it can operate solely on the electric motors when power demand is low. The transition from electric to hybrid mode is almost imperceptible, and in most cases, I wouldn't have known the engine had turned off if I hadn't seen the tachometer reading zero rpm.
Perry Stern
With good throttle response and predictable power delivery, the Palisade Hybrid was easy to drive and maneuver on the streets of Austin. The added power is noticeable, and the Palisade Hybrid accelerates quickly from a stop while effortlessly reaching highway speed. While the Palisade V6 isn't slow, I find the more powerful Palisade Hybrid much more satisfying to drive.
While the engine can be buzzy under hard acceleration, the Palisade Hybrid is quiet for the most part. There's almost no wind or road noise at speed, which adds to overall driving comfort.
The Palisade Hybrid handles reasonably well for a midsize three-row SUV. Though it feels heavy when driven enthusiastically around corners, it delivers a confident, stable ride overall.
Perry Stern
Is the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid a Good SUV?
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade is a strong contender in the world of family-friendly three-row SUVs, and the addition of the hybrid powertrain simply makes it better. There's tough competition from hybrid versions of the Toyota Highlander and Grand Highlander. But the Palisade Hybrid's standout styling, elegant cabin, spacious seating, and advanced technology make this newcomer a great choice as a fuel-efficient family hauler.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Perry SternAs a small child, Perry was constantly playing with toy cars and trucks, and that enthusiasm for anything motorized with wheels never faded. After college, he moved to Seattle and began his long automotive career working in an automotive consulting firm, helping customers choose the right vehicle for their needs. In the late 1990s, Perry joined Microsoft to work on CarPoint, part of the new Microsoft Network (MSN). He went on to become editor of the site, remaining on staff for 20 years before venturing out on his own. Today, in addition to his work on Capital One Auto Navigator, he still contributes to MSN, as well as J.D. Power, TrueCar.com, and U.S. News & World Report. Perry lives in the small town of Dexter, Michigan, with his wife and dog, and he still smiles when he sees his 2006 Mazda Miata in the garage.
Related articles
View more related articles